Carosello Pasta

Here is one of our personal favorites - heirloom wheat spaghetti made with Janie's Mill Turkey Red wheat flour + durum semolina. Our pasta is made with only U.S. grown certified organic wheat + water. Who cares about organic? We do – a great deal, and here are just a few notes as to why:

The environmental accumulation of glyphosate (Roundup) is responsible for widespread insect decline, with studies showing impacts on a wide range of traits from immune responses in pollinators to gene expression in beetles. We care about species richness, from plants and insects to the birds, mammals and other animals that feed on them.

Glyphosate exposure is one of the leading causes of illness for farmworkers handling these chemicals. While the exposure risk isn’t as great with grain production as compared to vegetables, when given a choice between supporting giant agrochemical companies or not, it’s an easy one for us.

Conventional agriculture relies on the usage of synthetic (fossil fuel based) fertilizers and chemical inputs. These are extremely energy intensive to create and are heavy polluters, especially Nitrogen based fertilizers created by converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia for agricultural use. In organic systems, nitrogen is fixed or made available to plants when naturally occurring soil microbes break down natural food sources like manure or compost. Another easy choice to lower our carbon footprint.

Studies have shown time and time again that organic practices result in better water and nutrient holding capacities of soils as opposed to conventional systems. This means more resilient agricultural landscapes and healthier watersheds.

There are still huge concerns with large scale monoculture croppings in organic systems, including broad spectrum pesticides allowed in organic farming (even if derived from natural sources). However, the usage of less harmful fertilizers, focus on crop rotation and soil health makes the investment in certified organic grains a clear choice for us – and has been since we started making pasta in 2019.

The corporate consolidation of behemoth agrochemical companies, among other factors, has our industrial food system in a fragile state, with farmers around the country hurting more than ever. It’s easy to forget that everything we buy in the grocery store is an agricultural product at its core – with policy, regulations (or lack thereof), and corporate greed largely shaping our food choices. We aren’t experts, but as small producers and farmers ourselves, we are always thinking about where our food comes from and encourage you to do the same ❤️

WE ARE CELEBRATING LOVE & FRIENDSHIP THIS WEEK with back to back events. Come visit us this Friday for Galentine’s from 5-8pm! We’ll be sampling a few new wines and have a spread of snacks and sweets while you browse. Make sure to stop by all the participating merchants downtown!

Then on Saturday, Carosello is going steady with Ellen’s Fine Goods for a Valentine’s pop-up from 11-2 (or sold out). Ellie always has something special up her sleeve; you won’t want to miss this!

The world is rocky and painful, all the more reason to tell the ones you love that you love them ❤️❤️❤️